And the best player of 2024 is...
2024 is over and it has been a very special year for chess, because of all the important tournaments that have been played, the great development of some players and many other things. That is why I welcome you to the first edition of the Brilliant Awards, where prizes will be awarded in various categories of the chess world. So please switch off your mobile phones, because the gala is about to begin.
Categories
It has been a year of exciting tournaments where we have seen the best players in the world compete and put on a great show. You could see the crowds enjoying every match and not wanting to wait between one tournament and the next. However, there are always tournaments that are more exciting than others, tournaments with better players than others, tournaments with a certain pace of play or tie-breaks that make it more or less exciting.
The winning tournament was a very exciting tournament where nothing was decided. In the final round, there were four players with a chance of winning and three of them had to get the full point to have a chance of going to tie-break. In addition, the men's and women's tournaments were played at the same time, so there was always an interesting game to analyse. On the other hand, the pace of play, without increment, made the last moves before the fortieth move a rollercoaster ride where anything could happen.
For all these reasons, the best tournament of the year is...
Best tournament
The 2024 FIDE Candidates
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Chess commentators are the ones who have to entertain the spectators during tournaments, they have to explain every move so that all spectators can understand how the games are developing, and they have to be able to liven up the breaks so that the spectators do not get bored.
There are many commentators who can do all these things, but the best ones also have to be able to make you jump out of your seat with their shouts when someone makes a mistake, give nicknames to all the players, tell anecdotes without stopping and keep you laughing. There are very few commentators who can do all this and, unfortunately for English-speaking readers, this commentator does most of his content in Spanish (although I recommend watching some of his broadcasts as it is fun and exciting even without understanding what he is saying).
For all these reasons, the best commentator of the year is...
Best commentator
Pepe Cuenca
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Chess players are role models for many young spectators who spend hours watching their favourite players. Therefore they have to behave appropriately, no matter how hard a defeat can be or how much they want to celebrate a victory. Chess is a very demanding sport in which you don't always get the results you expect and it can be very frustrating.
The most sportsmanlike moment of the year was one in whixh both players needed to win the game in order to continue their childhood dream. They both knew this and did everything they could to play a complex game so that one of them would walk away with the prize they both craved. Despite their best efforts to win, the game ended in a draw, a result that was not good for either of them. But you can see that at the end of the game, as the players analysed the game, they tried to console each other so that they could move on and try again next time.
So the award for sportsmanship goes to...
Sportsmanship award
Caruana and Nepo in the 14th game of the FIDE Candidates
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Every year new talents emerge who amaze us with their ability to learn every day and improve at breakneck speed. More and more youngsters are breaking records and beating the best players in the world. Of all these young prospects, there is one who has stood out for the great progress he has made throughout the year.
Despite his young age, this player has already managed to beat some of the best players in the world, such as Carlsen or Nakamura. He has also become the youngest International Master in history and is one of the best blitz players on chess.com, reaching over 3100 Elo and entering the top 10 of the site's rankings. The most surprising thing of all is that he is only 11 years old and still has plenty of time to improve every day and perhaps one day become a world champion.
For all these reasons, the best young player of the year is...
Best young player
Faustino Oro
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We have all made a mistake in a winning position and felt angry, frustrated or sad. However, making a mistake in an online game you are playing with your friend is not the same as making a mistake in one of the most important elite tournaments. Chess players are professionals who have made many mistakes in their careers and have managed, some more than others, to control their emotions and move on to the next game, ignoring the bad feelings of the previous game. The problem is when the game you lose is the last one of the tournament and you cannot recover the next day. Moreover, it is a mistake that a beginner could have made and that you know you would not have made if you were not so tired or if it were not such a stressful situation. And the worst of all is that it cost you a world championship.
For all these reasons, the worst mistake of the year is...
Worst blunder
Ding's Rf2 in the 14th game of the World Chess Championship
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Although the percentage of women in chess is not very high, there are some who have managed to stand out in chess because of their high level of play. Among them there is one who particularly stands out for being in the top 3 in all game rhythms. She also stands out for being one of the few players invited to private tournaments and for playing in the absolute category in addition to the women's category. Thanks to these invitations, she has managed to beat some of the best players in the world, such as Alireza Firouzja, Vincent Keymer and Anton Korobov. She has also won other important women's tournaments such as the Women World Blitz Championship or Norway Chess. On the other hand, she is the current Women World Champion and is improving her level every day.
For all these reasons, the best player of the year is...
Best female player
Ju Wenjun
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And now we have reached the final category of the 2024 Brilliant Awards. This was the most difficult decision of all, as there are several candidates who have had very good results throughout the year. However, there is one player who I think stands out because of the huge increase in Elo that he has had, reaching over 60 Elo points. This is a particularly difficult challenge when you have a very high Elo rating. Thanks to this increase in Elo, he has managed to climb thirteen places in the Elo rankings and is currently ranked number 4 in the world. He has also managed to break the 2800 Elo barrier despite being only 21 years old, becoming the second person from his country to do so. The most amazing thing is that he has achieved all this with hardly any invitations to private tournaments, playing dozens of open tournaments and winning most of them. With all these wins, he was on the verge of qualifying for the Candidates Tournament and making history.
For all this, the best player of the year is...
Best player
Arjun Erigaisi
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The end
Congratulations to all the winners and I hope you enjoyed the gala as much as I did. I would love to know who your winners are in each category and if you would like to add more for future editions.
That's it for today's blog, I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you in the next one. Until then, make your next move brilliant.
